Warner Bros. didn’t just show up to the inaugural Screen Awards—they brought a forklift. Between One Battle After Another, Sinners, and Weapons, the studio has effectively colonized the Best Picture category, leaving A24’s Marty Supreme and Focus Features’ Hamnet as the lonely resistance. It’s a flex we’ve seen before: flood the zone with late-year prestige plays and dare voters to look elsewhere. The strategy is transparent, expensive, and—judging by this list—completely effective.
But if you look past the studio muscle, the real story isn’t who dominated, but who was invited to the table. Anime. Not as a sidebar curiosity, but as a pillar. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc aren’t just filling quotas; they are competing in dedicated categories that acknowledge anime as a distinct, vital medium. That’s not fan service. That’s industry recalibration.
The “Prestige” Palette vs. The Ink of Anime
Look at the nominees for Best Lead Actor. DiCaprio, Jordan, Chalamet. It reads like a casting director’s wish list from 2015. The industry loves a safe bet, and these performances—anchored in historical weight (One Battle After Another) or period grit (Sinners)—are exactly the kind of “serious cinema” the trades love to champion. I’ve seen this pattern for twenty years: when in doubt, nominate the guy crying in period costume.
Contrast that with the Best Anime Film category. Chainsaw Man and Demon Slayer bring a visual vernacular that Western animation studios are still trying to reverse-engineer. The Screen Awards jury, comprised of critics who actually watch this stuff, recognized what the Academy often misses: anime isn’t a genre, it’s a medium with its own auteurs. Seeing The Apothecary Diaries and Solo Leveling get serious nods alongside HBO’s The Pitt is the kind of cross-pollination the industry desperately needs.
TV Categories: The Streaming Wars Continue
On the TV side, Apple TV’s Severance and HBO Max’s The Pitt are trading blows like heavyweights in the late rounds. Severance snagging nominations for Adam Scott, Britt Lower, and practically its entire supporting cast (Turturro, Tillman, Cherry) suggests the second season delivered on the hype. Meanwhile, The Pitt is flexing its ensemble strength with Noah Wyle and Fiona Dourif.
But here’s the earned cynicism: notice the overlap? The White Lotus is still here. Hacks is still here. For a “new” awards body, the TV nominees feel suspiciously comfortable. It raises the question: are we celebrating the best of 2025, or just the shows with the biggest For Your Consideration budgets?
Complete List of Screen Awards 2025 Nominees
BEST PICTURE
- Hamnet (Focus Features)
- Marty Supreme (A24)
- One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Weapons (Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema)
BEST TV SERIES
- Andor (Disney+)
- Pluribus (Apple TV)
- Severance (Apple TV)
- Task (HBO Max)
- The Pitt (HBO Max)
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS – FILM
- Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)
- Emma Stone (Bugonia)
- Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
- Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
- Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS – TV
- Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us)
- Britt Lower (Severance)
- Jean Smart (Hacks)
- Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex)
- Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus)
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR – FILM
- Jesse Plemons (Bugonia)
- Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)
- Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
- Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
- Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR – TV
- Adam Scott (Severance)
- Ethan Hawke (The Lowdown)
- Noah Wyle (The Pitt)
- Seth Rogen (The Studio)
- Tim Robinson (The Chair Company)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS – FILM
- Amy Madigan (Weapons)
- Ariana Grande (Wicked For Good)
- Regina Hall (One Battle After Another)
- Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)
- Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS – TV
- Carrie Coon (The White Lotus)
- Erin Doherty (Adolescence)
- Fiona Dourif (The Pitt)
- Katherine LaNasa (The Pitt)
- Patricia Arquette (Severance)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR – FILM
- Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another)
- Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
- Paul Mescal (Hamnet)
- Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
- Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR – TV
- John Turturro (Severance)
- Owen Cooper (Adolescence)
- Sam Rockwell (The White Lotus)
- Tramell Tillman (Severance)
- Zach Cherry (Severance)
BEST ANIME FILM
- 100 METERS
- Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
- KPop Demon Hunters
- Scarlet
BEST ANIME SERIES
- City the Animation
- Gachiakuta
- Solo Leveling
- The Apothecary Diaries
- The Summer Hikaru Died
BEST DIRECTOR
- Chloé Zhao (Hamnet)
- Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)
- Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
- Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
- Zach Cregger (Weapons)
BEST NEW TV SERIES DEBUT
- Pluribus
- Task
- The Chair Company
- The Pitt
- The Studio
What These Nominations Actually Mean
Warner Bros. Still Has the Muscle
With Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, and Zach Cregger all scoring Director nods for WB projects, the studio is proving that legacy relationships still matter more than algorithm-driven content.
Anime Is No Longer a Niche
The inclusion of 100 METERS alongside franchise giants like Demon Slayer shows the jury dug deep. This isn’t just about popularity; it’s about craft.
The “Safe” TV Choices
While Severance deserves every accolade, the lack of newer, messier swings in the acting categories suggests voters are still catching up on their watchlists.
A24’s Quiet Year?
With only Marty Supreme making the big noise, A24 seems to be taking a breather—or perhaps their “weird” just wasn’t weird enough this time.
FAQ
Why are the Screen Awards significant compared to the Golden Globes or Oscars?
Because they are voted on by the editorial leadership of the biggest online film communities (ScreenRant, Collider, etc.). These are the people driving the daily conversation, not a secretive body of foreign press or retired industry insiders. It reflects what the internet cares about, not just what the industry wants to sell.
Did Severance really dominate the TV categories?
Yes. With nominations for Series, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, and three for Supporting Actor, it’s the show to beat. It signals that Apple’s sci‑fi workplace thriller has officially crossed over from “cult hit” to “prestige juggernaut.”
Is anime finally being treated as equal to live-action?
At the Screen Awards? Yes. By creating specific categories rather than dumping them into a generic “Animation” slot, the jury is acknowledging that anime has its own language, tropes, and artistic merit that deserves specific critique.
What does Warner Bros.’ dominance say about the state of cinema in 2025?
It says that big budgets and auteur directors are still the winning formula. WB bet big on PTA, Coogler, and Cregger—filmmakers with distinct voices—and the critical community rewarded that risk. It’s a victory for the “director‑driven studio” model over the “content factory” approach.
The real question isn’t who will win Best Picture. It’s whether, in five years, we’ll look back at Demon Slayer‘s nomination as the moment Hollywood stopped translating anime—and started listening to it.
So tell me: when the Screen Awards air next February, will you be watching for Jordan’s speech…
or for the Chainsaw Man team’s?
